Reeva Steenkamp 'unlikely to be cowering when shot by Oscar Pistorius'

Reeva Steenkamp was unlikely to have been in a defensive position when she was shot by Paralympic champion Oscar Pistorius, a court has heard.

The claims from ballistics expert Tom Wolmarans questions the prosecution's case that the South African model had her hand over her head when Pistorius fired bullets at her.

The double amputee is accused of murdering his girlfriend by firing four shots through a bathroom door at his home in Pretoria on Valentine's Day last year.

On Friday, Mr Wolmarans told the High Court that Steenkamp's left hand could not have been against her head because no wounds or brain tissue were found on the inside of her hand.

Pistorius denies murder by maintaining that he mistook the 29-year-old for an intruder when he fired the shots.